Some Things Change
by xSweetiex
Summary: Tristan and Rory have become good friends, although she and Dean are still dating (they never broke up the first time). After something happens with Dean, Rory sees that things are beginning to change between her and Tristan.
1. Default Chapter

*****************************************************************   
Title: Some Things Change   
Author: Christine (Christine.2001@juno.com)  
Rating: PG-13??  
Spoilers: Umm…I guess up until "The Third Lorelai"…the rest came from my head.  
Pairing: R/T  
Starring: Rory, Tristan  
Guest Starring: Lorelai, Dean, Luke, Lane  
Summary: Tristan and Rory have become good friends, although she and Dean are still dating (they never broke up the first time). After something happens with Dean, Rory sees that things are beginning to change between her and Tristan.  
Disclaimer: Nooo officer! That's not Tristan stuffed under my bed……Well….I was going to give him back!!  
Feedback: Oh Please? This is my first fic and I want to make sure I'm doing it right.  
***************************************************************** 

Chapter 1/16 

The two teens stood in an intense stare down, each with his own set of furrowed brows, intense blue eyes, and a fighting stance. 

"You're mine, DuGrey!" 

"In your dreams!"

A grueling battle soon ensued with a jumble of flailing arms and a great deal of noise. After about a minute's time, a loud buzzer sounds and both teens stop suddenly as if they had off switches that someone just pushed.

"Haha! Yes! I am the reigning queen!" The victor did what could only be described as a happy dance as the loser stood despondently, casting an occasional glare at the former. "Go ahead, say it! 'Rory, you are the all-time reigning champion of air hockey!'"

Tristan tried to cast another glare her way, but with one glance at her beautiful, flushed face, all thoughts of pretending to be angry were quickly lost. "How did I ever manage to deserve someone as perfect as her," he thought to himself. "Not that she's mine. She's the bagboy's. I don't think he realizes how lucky she is. But what can I do? If she wants me to be her friend, that's what I'll be. I'll be anything she wants me to be." Tristan was shaken from his thoughts by a hand waving in front of his face. Rory stood before him, the picture of perfection: long brown hair hanging loosely around her shoulders, spaghetti strap tank top resting on her slim shoulders, denim shorts, not too short as to be described as immodest, but just short enough to accentuate her long legs and slender hips. And on those hips rested both of her hands. As he looked up into her face he saw her crystalline eyes dancing from her victory and on her soft red lips a smirk. "Hmm…I see some of my traits have been wearing off on her." The thought and her next words elicited a small smile from him.

"Oh come on, don't be a sore loser," she teased.

"I still think you cheated," he said with a little smirk.

"Yeah right! Like I really need to? Do you really need me to whoop that ass of yours again to prove it?"

Tristan placed his arm around her shoulders. "Now, now, Mary. I know you just want an excuse to touch my ass. But sweetie, that'll just have to wait till later."

Rory rolls her eyes and smacks his stomach lightly. "Oof! Hey! Watch it now. Let's not get violent!"

She just rolls her eyes again. "You just never change! Your despicable." Meanwhile the smile playing across her face lets him know that she's just kidding. She couldn't be further from the truth. Tristan had changed. The teasing and taunting that had once infuriated her had become part of their friendly banter and was something that she would always miss if it were absent for too long. After some tentative steps, they had slowly become friends. However, Rory not only saw changes in Tristan through his behavior with her, but also in his overall personality. It seemed as if he felt that he didn't have to pretend to be the cocky and arrogant rich boy that everyone at Chilton expected him to be. She even noticed, with great approval, that he stopped dating those superficial girls like Summer. Yes, Tristan had definitely changed. Rory's thoughts were interrupted when she realized that Tristan has begun to lead her out of the gaming room of the Hartford Mall. 

With one hand on the small of her back, he guided her towards the doorway. "Come on. Let me buy her highness a victory cup of coffee."

"Coffee? Coffee? Really? You'll buy me coffee?"

"Well, on that note, I'm beginning to regret that offer…" he says with a chuckle at her obvious addiction. But that was just one of the unique facet of her personality that he loved…well, actually, he loved them all. But that's beside the point.

"Aww…You're the best. You're wonderful…." While Rory continued to sing his praise, they had reached the coffee stand and Tristan was retrieving the steaming cup from one of the workers. Before he could hand it over to Rory, who was still praising him, she reached up, cupping the hot beverage between her hands. 

She stared lovingly down at the cup all the while murmuring, "You're beautiful. You're glorious. You smell SO good!"

Tristan had to laugh at the absurdity of the smartest girl he knew talking to a drink. "Well, thank you for noticing, Rory! I wear this cologne just for you!"

"Eww…so THAT's what smells so rank all the time!" Rory glanced up at him from behind her coffee cup with a little smile. She couldn't imagine Tristan ever smelling BAD. He might lose his trail of adoring girls that way. The thought made her laugh out loud into her coffee, and she almost choked in the process.

"Whoa, there, tiger. I think you've had just about enough." He managed to swiftly snatch the cup from her hand, which was a miracle considering how tightly she always grasped her coffee. Like it's her only method of survival. But that really was how she thought of it.

Shaken out of her choking fit, she realized her glorious coffee had been taken away. She lunged for it, but Tristan was too quick and lifted it easily above her head. But Rory kept making attempts to get it back. Tristan's laughter was checked at her final ploy. She suddenly decided to latch onto his middle with both of her arms and beg and plead for it. There they stood. Tristan with his arm upraised holding a cup of coffee over Rory's head. And Rory catching Tristan in what appeared to be a bear hug with a pout on her face.

"Please Tristan! Please, please, please give me that cup!" With each plea, her lip somehow managed to jut out a little further. She even managed to make it tremble a little. 

"Boy, she's good," he thought. "I never could resist anything she asked for."

"Please Tris! I'll be your best friend!!"

With a sigh of resignation, Tristan slowly lowered his arm. But apparently not quickly enough when Rory snatched it back, giggling and hopping around excitedly. "Rory, you already are my best friend….Oh, just drink your coffee."

"I know," she says with a little smirk. And after one last gulp from her cup, she tosses it, empty, into the nearby trashcan. "And I already did!" she adds with a giggle at his astonished look.

"You couldn't possibly drink that whole thing that quickly! I got you the biggest size they had! That was some new record or something." Tristan just stood there staring in awe at Rory, looking as if he were trying to figure out where exactly she managed to put all that coffee in that petite little figure of hers.

Rory just laughed in response and started pulling on his arm. "Come on! Hurry up, you slowpoke! We're gonna be late for the movie! I want to get a good seat to drool over Mark Wahlberg!"

"Ugh, I can't believe it! Marky Mark? Formerly of New Kids on the Block and Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch?"

"Oh, come on! You can watch that one girl. That Canadian swimmer in a little skimpy outfit!"

"She's not an ape is she? Cuz, you know Rory, I don't really go for that kinda thing."

"Sigh. Let's go Bible Boy. It's off to the movies."

Tristan stops in his tracks and his face contorts making him look like a little boy. "Aww..Rory," he whined, "I thought you stopped calling me that!"

"Hey mister! You started this whole Biblical allusions thing!" she said with a chuckle.

"Fine," he said with the remnants of a sulk on his face.

As they made there way to the theater with Tristan trudging after Rory, his face suddenly lights up with his all to familiar smirk. "So there's a hot Canadian swimmer, huh?" "Ugh! You never change, Tristan!" With one last laugh, the two friends head off into the darkening movie theater.

End of Chapter 1

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	2. Chapter 2

*****************************************************************  
Title: Some Things Change  
Author: Christine (Christine.2001@juno.com)  
Rating: PG-13??  
Spoilers: Umm…I guess up until "The Third Lorelai"…the rest came from my head.  
Pairing: R/T  
Starring: Rory, Tristan  
Guest Starring: Lorelai, Dean, Luke, Lane  
Summary: Tristan and Rory have become good friends, although she and Dean are still dating (they never broke up the first time). After something happens with Dean, Rory sees that things are beginning to change between her and Tristan.  
Disclaimer: Nooo officer! That's not Tristan stuffed under my bed……Well….I was going to give him back!!…. Eventually.  
Feedback: Oh, YES Please! This is my first fic and I want to make sure I'm doing it right.  
*****************************************************************

Chapter 2/16

"My God, Rory! How can you possibly like that guy? He kept the SAME look on his face throughout the entire movie!"

Tristan was in the driver's seat with Rory beside him on the way to Stars Hollow. Rory turned to him with her arms crossed and an indignant look on her face. "But it's such a cute face! And did you SEE those rippling muscles! Wow!" She got a dreamy expression on her face.

"Aww, come on, Mary. I mean, do you fail to see this Adonis sitting next to you?" Tristan comically flexed his bicep with a look of serious concentration on his face. "How have you managed to resist this for so long? If I were you, I'd have jumped me already!"

"Ha! It's a good thing you're not me!" she added with a smirk as they pulled up in front of her house. "That'd certainly be an interesting sight…"

A look of false dejection crossed his face as his lip stuck out in a pout. "I'm hurt, Rory. Really!"

"Aww..poor wittle Trissy got his wittle feeling hurt…" Rory matched his pout with one of her own in mocking.

Tristan's face lit up in a devilish smile. "Kiss to make it all better?"

Rory laughed at the suggestion, but quickly leaned over in her leather seat to give him a swift kiss on the cheek. "Night Bible Boy." His smile couldn't have been any wider.

"Night, Mary. See you in Hell on Monday!"

"Ugh…don't remind me! I'm just going to enjoy my remaining day of the weekend."

"Sounds good to me! Bye Rory."

He sat in her driveway until he saw that she made it safely to the door. He looked after her adoringly as she skipped her way to her front porch, her innocence evident in almost everything she did. At the top of the steps Rory spun around to give him a tiny wave before shutting the front door behind her. With a sigh, Tristan ran his hands through his already disheveled hair and put the car in reverse, backing slowly out of her driveway. He was always reluctant when he had to leave her. It was pure torture on the days that he couldn't see her, and even though there was one day separating their next meeting, it seemed like decades to him.

"Mom! I'm home!"

Rory walked further into the house and suddenly heard a lot of clattering noise coming from the kitchen. "Oh, no." She ran as quickly as she could into the kitchen and skid to a halt before she could crash into any of the clutter currently occupying what was once her kitchen floor. Well at least it was this morning before she left. "Mom!"

"AH!!!" *Thunk* "Don't DO that!! Are you trying to send me to the hospital with a concussion? It's all a plot to find my secret coffee stash! I'm like that little cartoon leprechaun that those kids keep chasing around to find his pot of gold. But ho, ho, ho! I'm too sneaky! You'll never-"

"Mom! What are you doing under the sink!"

"Well, Miss Smarty Pants, can't you see that I'm fixing the sink?" she says as she stuck her head out from under the sink.

Rory took in the surrounding mess, all slightly wet from an apparent leak, and her mother's dirt smeared face. "This is fixing the sink? More like tearing apart our kitchen!"

Lorelai feigned shock. "My flesh and blood, are you doubting my handywoman plumbing abilities! I'm sure I have a really cute plumber shot!" The last part was added with a devilish chuckle.

Rory had to laugh at her crazy mother, "Whatever you say mom."

"Now on to more important things, how was you're day with the evil one?" she said wiggling her eyebrows.

"Mom! You know Tristan and I are just friends and that I'm dating Dean. Besides, you know very well that Tristan has turned in his horns, tail, and pitchfork."

"You checked to make sure he turned in his tail! Rory," she teased, "how scandalous! I have raised you well."

"ANYWAY! We saw Planet of the Apes."

"Ooh! Mark Wahlberg in a tight ripped up shirt!" Lorelai got a dreamy look on her face.

"I know! That's what I said too!"

"Tristan didn't seem to agree, huh?"

The two both chuckled at the thought of Tristan gushing over Mark Wahlberg.

"Haha…not quite."

Just then the doorbell rang, interrupting any further information from being pried from Rory about her day with Tristan.

"I'll get it!" Rory quickly ran out the kitchen towards the front door.

"I'm not done with you, little missy! I wanna hear more about your day later!" Lorelai yelled after her. With a sigh, she began to lower herself back under the sink. Muttering to herself, "One of these days, that girl's gonna realize how in love with her he is….But until then, this sink has my name on it! Now where did I put that twisting tightening doohickey…"

Rory skid towards the door and threw it open. "Hey, you!" She reached on tiptoe to give her boyfriend a kiss. Before she could reach his lips, he turned his head, resulting in a kiss on his cheek. "Umm…come on in." 

Dean stepped through the door, his solemn expression never leaving his face. "Where were you today?"

"Dean, I told you that Tristan and I made plans-"

"Of course, you were with him."

"Dean, what is this-"

"Look Rory, I think we need to talk."

End of Chapter 2

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	3. Chapter 3

*****************************************************************  
Title: Some Things Change  
Author: Christine (Christine.2001@juno.com)  
Rating: PG-13??  
Spoilers: Umm…I guess up until "The Third Lorelai"…the rest came from my head.  
Pairing: R/T  
Starring: Rory, Tristan  
Guest Starring: Lorelai, Dean, Luke, Lane  
Summary: Tristan and Rory have become good friends, although she and Dean are still dating (they never broke up the first time). After something happens with Dean, Rory sees that things are beginning to change between her and Tristan.  
Disclaimer: Nooo officer! That's not Tristan stuffed under my bed……Well….I was going to give him back!!…. Eventually.  
Feedback: Oh, YES Please! This is my first fic and I want to make sure I'm doing it right.  
*****************************************************************

"Where were you today?"

"Dean, I told you that Tristan and I made plans-"

"Of course, you were with him."

"Dean, what is this-"

"Look Rory, I think we need to talk."

End of Chapter 2

*****************************************************************

Chapter 3/16

"Dean if this is about Tristan again, you know that we're just friends!" Rory had the feeling she knew where this conversation was headed. She didn't like it one bit. If she had a nickel for every time Dean had a problem with Tristan, she could buy a lifetime's worth of coffee….and STILL have some left for Lorelai. That's definitely a lot.

Dean snorted at her naiveté. She just didn't get it. "Rory are you blind! Can't you see how much that stupid accountant wants you! Rory this is for your own good! He's going to try something with you. That is, if he hasn't already!"

Rory's eyes were getting misty. Why couldn't she just be happy? She had two guys in her life that she cared so much about, but one always had to make it hard for the other. She really cared about Dean. However, she wasn't sure if she really loved him. Sure she loved him as a friend….well except when he was like this. But was she IN love with him? She imperceptibly shook her head, answering her own question. She couldn't be in love with someone who didn't trust her.

"Dean, you don't even know him! He's my friend and you made no effort to even try to get to know him!" By now the tears were streaming down her face. The same face that was now contorted in pain, knowing what would soon be happening. 

"I know his kind." Dean grumbled. He hated to see Rory cry, but what was he going to do? He had to get this over with once and for all. "Guys like that only care about one thing and one thing only."

Rory opened her mouth about to retort, but Dean held up his hand and kept talking. "Rory, I need you to choose. It's me or him. I can't stand that you go running all around with him, barely spending any time with me! I can't stand that you spend time with someone who so obviously wants you, and won't spend that time with your boyfriend who you're supposed to be in love with!"

"Well, I'm not in love with you," Rory said silently to herself. Her face showed her change in emotions from pain to anger. "I don't believe you! If you loved me so much, you should trust me! You can't make me give up my friend! Possibly my only one at Chilton, mind you. Who are you to dictate who I can and cannot see? You know what, Dean? I'm the only one who decides who I can and cannot see, and as of right now, I can't see you anymore! Now please get out of my house!" 

Rory starts pushing a distressed and confused Dean towards the front door. "Rory, how can you do this after all we've been through?"

They had reached the door, which Rory was flinging open. She pushed him out the door, an amazing task, considering their size ratio. But that just goes to show: Don't mess with a Gilmore Girl. As Dean stumbled to gain his balance, he turned back towards the house to look at his girlfriend. Or rather, ex-girlfriend. 

"Rory, come on!"

"Dean, I don't have anything else to say to you. I don't need someone who doesn't trust me and tries to control me. It's over." And with that, she slammed the door, leaving Dean to stare at it.

Sighing and wiping away the remainder of her tears, Rory slowly trudged back towards the living room, knowing that her mom would be in there. Their yelling was definitely loud enough to be heard over Lorelai's attempts at fixing the sink. As she entered the living room, she gave a small smile at her mother. There on the coffee table were two pints of Ben and Jerry's, a pot of coffee, and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory. Rory walked into her mom's open arms to receive her hug. "Thanks, mom."

"No problem, babe. Now let's stuff our faces full of Cherry Garcia!"

"Sounds good."

The two Gilmores cuddled up on the couch after popping in their favorite movie and getting situated with their ice cream and coffee. There the two sat in a comfortable silence, relaxing into each other, until the end of the movie. Rory let out a heavy sigh as Lorelai shut off the TV.

"Sweetie, you know that if you want to talk about it I'm here. I'm good to wallow with!"

"I know mom. You're the best wallow partner there is. But I think I just need to think things through on my own first…..Besides, I know you heard everything anyways," she added with a smirk.

Lorelai feigned shock. "Was that a, dare I say it? Evil smirk?"

With a chuckle, Rory started heading towards her room, "Night oompa!" she threw over her shoulder.

"Haha. Night loompa!" Lorelai's eyes drifted to one of the many photos of her and Rory. It was of Halloween a couple years ago when they had dressed up as their favorites characters from their favorite movie. "How I am this lucky to have gotten a kid like her?" She glanced towards the now closed door of Rory's room and then began to collect the empty cartons and mugs. "Tomorrow's gonna be hard since the whole town probably knows by now. But somehow, I know she'll get over it." With an evil gleam in her eye and a smile, "I'm sure Tristan will be of some help…." 

With that, she began to hum the song of the oompa loompas and went back to straightening up. As she reached the kitchen, she let out a huge groan. Seeing the disarray and the still broken sink, she just added all the objects in her arm to the growing pile. "I'll just get a plumber tomorrow." Then she turned, heading up the stairs to her bedroom. "Hmm…hopefully he'll have a nice plumber shot," she thought giggling to herself. 

Inside Rory's bedroom, Rory had dressed to go to bed. She looked up at her dresser and picked up the box of cornstarch. Looking at it contemplatingly for a moment, she went to put it in the back of her closet. Returning to the dresser, she looked up at a strip of photos tucked under the mirror frame. It was one of those four-framed pictures that you get from those booths at the mall. She looked at the happy teens, falling over each other trying to cram into the booth, making silly faces, putting each other into headlocks, and in the last frame, smiling at the camera with their arms around each other. She was glad that Tristan and her were such good friends now. It made her sad that she had broken up with Dean, but she knew that she made the right choice as she looked at the pictures of the two of them. Sighing, Rory crawled into bed, thinking about all that had happened that day. "When am I going to find someone who loves me for who I am?" she whispered into the darkness as one solitary tear slid down her cheek. 

End of Chapter 3

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	4. Chapter 4

*****************************************************************  
Title: Some Things Change  
Author: Christine (Christine.2001@juno.com)  
Rating: PG-13??  
Spoilers: Umm…I guess up until "The Third Lorelai"…the rest came from my head.  
Pairing: R/T  
Starring: Rory, Tristan  
Guest Starring: Lorelai, Dean, Luke, Lane  
Summary: Tristan and Rory have become good friends, although she and Dean are still dating (they never broke up the first time). After something happens with Dean, Rory sees that things are beginning to change between her and Tristan.  
Disclaimer: Nooo officer! That's not Tristan stuffed under my bed……Well….I was going to give him back!!…. Eventually.  
Feedback: Oh, YES Please! This is my first fic and I want to make sure I'm doing it right.  
*****************************************************************

Chapter 4/16

"What time is it?" Rory groaned as she tried to hide from the sunshine that was invading her room. She took a moment away from her attempted escape to look at the fuzzy clock on her nightstand. The furry hands told her that it was now 1:30. And from the annoying rays of sunlight coming through her curtains, she figured it was p.m. With another groan she threw the covers back over her head. The same head that was currently beating and throbbing with what was the start of a major headache. "God! What's wrong with me?!?!" she moaned. Then, her headache suddenly got worse. She thought about what conspired last night. She didn't have a boyfriend any more. With that thought, she threw back the covers, knowing that she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. "I just want to avoid everyone today," she thought. "It's probably all over town already." With a tiny snort, she corrected herself, "It was all over town last night in the five minutes after the breakup. Mom can just siphon my coffee under the door." As she stopped to listen to the noises coming from her kitchen, she noticed the distinct smell of the elixir of life. "Mmm…speaking of coffee. Can't face Stars Hollow gossip mill without at least a pot of it." She slowly trudged towards the door, not at all eager to begin her day. She opened the door to reveal her mom pouring two cups of piping hot coffee.

"Hey, sweetie! I was just about to see if you were ready for your morning coffee…Although this is not exactly morning, but I thought I'd let you sleep in."

"I'm always ready for coffee. And thanks. I needed it."

"No prob. So…I was thinking for lunch, I could go pick up some burgers from Luke's and bring 'em back here."

"Mom, I know what you're thinking, but they're all gonna track me down anyway. They're going to bombard the house. Maybe even an air raid. You know that there's no stopping people hungry for gossip."

"We can stop them! We'll man the towers! I knew that those would be useful one day! But nooo…you wanted to tear them down because they were, 'impractical,'" she said making quotation marks in the air while speaking.

Ignoring her nonsensical rant, "It's okay mom, let's go to Luke's. I can't hide forever."

With that, the two women changed and headed off to the building marked as a hardware store. As they take a seat at their normal table, Rory notices everyone staring after her. She sees, out of the corner of her eye, that Taylor has taken out his cell phone. With a self-conscious look, Rory covers her face with her hands. "It's started," she mumbled.

"Honey, I can't understand you with you hands on your face. It sounded like you just admitted doing something not so attractive, and is usually followed by an excuse me. Emily Gilmore would faint at such an admission."

Taking her hands away, she glared at her mother. "Not helping," she accused with a finger pointing at the older Lorelai.

"Don't point that cute little finger at me, missy," she demanded, pointing her own finger at the little Lorelai.

The two sat with determined looks on their faces, staring at each other in a face off, both with fingers still outstretched. The staring continued until Lorelai blinked. 

"Ha! I win!"

With a look of defeat, "You're too good for me, kid. I have taught you well."

Luke walks up to the table of his two favorite customers. "The usual?" He asked even though he knew the answer. "And you," he said pointing to Rory, "get an extra large coffee today and a sundae. On the house." 

"Aww..Luke, you don't have to do that!"

But Lorelai, after hearing the extra large coffee part, sat there gaping at Luke with her mouth wide open. "Oh Luke, I've been through so much trauma! You don't even know. I mean, I had to hire this plumber! And he just sat there all day with his pants dipping down way too far! It was enough to make me run, screaming from the room without my coffee!!! Imagine! WITHOUT my coffee!!" She enunciated each of her last three words by pounding her fists into Luke's arm. Grabbing his arm and staring up at him with a puppy dog face, "Please Lukey! I need help!!"

"I could have told you that." But with one last look at her beautiful face and her pouting lips, he relented. And Lorelai could see it in his face.

"Yes!" she said with a triumphant smile.

"That stuff will kill you!" Luke shouted over his shoulder as he walked back to the kitchen.

Lorelai leaned closer to Rory as if about to tell a secret, "I'm goood!"

Rory just shook her head, chuckling. "When are they going to see that they love each other!" she thought to herself.

Just then Babette walked up to the table, trailed by Miss Patty, Kirk, and Taylor.

"Rory, sweetie! I'm so sorry, honey. But don't worry about it. I met so many terrible men before I met my Maury," her short, scratchy voiced neighbor, with a striking resemblance to Sally Struthers, said.

"Yes, Rory, doll. I'm so sorry! I was one of the ones who encouraged you two. I thought you'd make such a good couple. Be that boy doesn't deserve you," Miss Patty crooned.

"Rory, you must forgive me. I knew something was wrong with that boy. There was just something about his eyes," Kirk said, motioning to his own eyes, "They're just too….beady"

"Rory, I never liked him. He handles the peaches all wrong. I can tell. He *tosses them down. He doesn't place them, he tosses them. You can tell a lot about someone by the way they handle their fresh produce," Taylor said with a solemn shake of his head.

"You guys, thank you, all of you, but really I'm fine!"

They all nodded with sympathetic looks on their faces, as if they didn't believe her.

Noticing Rory's uncomfortable look, Lorelai decide to take action, "Ok, well thank you all. I know Rory appreciates your concern, but I think that visiting hours are over. This wild one needs to be sent back to her cell pretty soon," she says pointing over her shoulder at Rory all the while pushing them out the door. "Buh-bye now!" And with that, she shuts the door to their protests.

As they two finish eating and drinking their extra large coffees, Lane comes bounding in. "Hey Rory! Hey Lorelai!"

"Hey Lane, meet any nice Korean boys lately?" Lorelai says with a smirk.

"Haha. Nope, I guess Henry, will just have to do."

"Hey mom? Is it okay if I go hang out with Lane for a little while?

"Sure no problem, babe. Have fun you two!" she shouted after their retreating backs. "Don't go robbing any liquor stores or super markets! But if you do, we need more coffee at home!"

Sitting up in Lane's room, they listened to some of Lane's hidden stash of CD's. Otherwise known to her mother as the 'forbidden noise'.

As a PJ Harvey melody flowed from the stereo, Rory divulged the details of her break up with Dean. 

"So basically, you're saying that you broke up with Dean to be with Tristan."

"I didn't break up with Dean to BE with Tristan! I broke up with Dean because he didn't trust me and he was trying to control me."

"So…this had absolutely NOTHING to do with Tristan?" Lane said with one eyebrow arched and a look of disbelief. Then, after a short pause asked, "Wait. Have you TOLD Tristan yet?"

"Lane! What are you talking about! You sound almost as bad as Dean! No my break up with Dean was not a result of my relationship with Tristan. And no I haven't told him yet," she said with a disgruntled sigh.

Lane held her hands up as if in surrender. "Hey, I'm just checking. I've seen how you two look at each other. Oh don't give me that look. It's true whether you want to believe it or not."

"Yeah, Lane. Whatever you say." "That's just crazy," thought Rory.

"Lane! It is time for dinner! Come down now!" Mrs. Kim's voice rang through the entire house.

"I'm coming, Mama!"

Giving each other a little smile, the two best friends said their goodbyes and Rory headed back home. As she walked down the streets that she knew like the back of her hand, she thought back to her conversation with Lane. "What did she mean, 'the way we look at each other'?" With a shake of her head, she cleared those ridiculous thoughts from her head. As another thought entered her mind, she stopped dead in her tracks. She had to go back to school tomorrow! "Ugh. Way to spend a relaxing day before going back to that hell hole! Well at least Tristan will be there to help get me through the day. Wait! Am I thinking about Tristan again!" With a sigh, Rory continued on the short walk to her house. "I must be going crazy or something."

End of Chapter 4

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	5. Chapter 5

*****************************************************************  
Title: Some Things Change  
Author: Christine (Christine.2001@juno.com)  
Rating: PG-13??  
Spoilers: Umm…I guess up until "The Third Lorelai"…the rest came from my head.  
Pairing: R/T  
Starring: Rory, Tristan  
Guest Starring: Lorelai, Dean, Luke, Lane  
Summary: Tristan and Rory have become good friends, although she and Dean are still dating (they never broke up the first time). After something happens with Dean, Rory sees that things are beginning to change between her and Tristan.  
Disclaimer: Nooo officer! That's not Tristan stuffed under my bed……Well….I was going to give him back!!…. Eventually.  
Feedback: Oh, YES Please! This is my first fic and I want to make sure I'm doing it right.  
*****************************************************************

Chapter 5/16

The sun was shining brightly, the birds were singing, and children were playing. It was a wonderful day. "Well, it was a wonderful day to everyone but me." Rory's head was leaning against the clear glass window of the bus. As she watched the trees and cars whiz by, she was getting closer and closer to Chilton. With a deep breath, Rory shut her eyes, reveling in the coolness of the glass, and tried to rest for a bit. She had had difficulty falling asleep last night. And when she finally did, she had an unsettling dream that kept her from sleep for the rest of the night. A moan escaped her lips. 

"Who was he?" She thought back to her dream. She had been with someone. They had been soaring above the earth when they suddenly stopped. He took her in his arms, and all she could remember was how right they felt around her. And then….and then he kissed her. He kissed her with all the passion and love in the world. Rory could still feel his lips on hers. Touching her lips with the tips of her fingers, she could feel them heat by just remembering. But if only she COULD remember. She couldn't remember who her mystery man was. Sighing, she thought, "Maybe I'm just not meant to know. Maybe he's just not real. Now Dean. He was real. But definitely wasn't the true love of her dreams." She let her head fall back against the glass in defeat. "But he seemed so familiar. Like I knew him, yet I can't tell who he was."

As the driver called out her stop, she grudgingly got up from her seat to begin what was promising to be a very, very long day. Walking up the stone steps and into the cold hall, she entered her own personal Hell. She had to admit that it HAD been better since she and Tristan became friends, but still, it was pretty hard to go through there every day and remain unscathed by the glares and the not so subtle digs at her character and status. Sighing once again, she made her way to her locker. She noticed that she had been doing that a lot lately. Sighing. "I guess it just goes along with the territory of being a teenager," she thought.

As she sorted through her meticulously clean locker for the books she needed for the next couple periods, she got lost in her thoughts. Leaning her head against her locker door, she thought about her Mystery Man. That was her name for him now. She'd rather have his REAL name, but she was having a bit of trouble with that. Sighing for the thousandth time that morning, she turned back to her books, however her mind never strayed far from her Mystery Man and his searing kisses.

Throwing a wave here and there to the numerous people greeting him, Tristan made a beeline for Rory's locker. It was like their unofficial meeting place. It was never actually stated that they would meet there every morning and every day after school. It just happened. And he was late. He didn't care about all the other people in the halls. All he cared about was seeing her beautiful smile. As he neared her locker, he realized he wouldn't be blessed with that smile today, and his own immediately disappeared.

"Morning, Rory," he said putting his hand gently on Rory's shoulder. Rory jumped as she was jarred from her thoughts.

"Oh. Hey, Tristan." She mustered up as much of a smile as she could in her distressed state. Tristan really didn't need to know about her confusion involving the dream.

"So…are you gonna tell me what's the matter? Or am I going to have to force it out of you?" he said taking his normal position leaning against the locker.

"What makes you think anything's wrong?" She gave a much bigger smile this time.

"Uh-uh. I'm not buying that smile, Rory. I know you much better than that. I know your beautiful smile when I see it. And although that was quite the attractive smile, it was your fake one. Sorry, but you can't fool me Miss Gilmore. Now, the truth."

With a pout, "You're no fair." Her face registered a blush, showing Tristan that his complement had not gone unnoticed. He smiled and her modesty, but quickly focused back to the task at hand.

"Uh-huh. I waiting, my dear," he said crossing his arms.

"Umm…shouldn't we be getting to class?"

"The bell didn't ring yet."

**BRRRING**

"You timed that didn't you."

"Yes Tristan. I have a remote in my pocket that controls all the bells in the school," she deadpanned.

Pushing away from the lockers, Tristan put his arm around Rory's shoulder as he led the way to class. "Well in that case, how bout you let the bells ring early enough for lunch so that we can blow this popsicle stand."

Looking up at him, "who talks like that anymore?"

"I do. And don't think that you're off the hook that easily." With a much gentler tone, "I know something's wrong Rory. I'm just worried about you and I want to help."

With a tiny, but genuine smile, "Thanks Tristan. We can talk later." "I might as well just tell him about the break up with Dean. I'm not so sure I'll be so open about my dream though," she thought as they entered Mr. Medina's class.

Mr. Medina started class right as the second bell rang. He launched into his instructions on preparing for the finals. Normally, Rory would be giving the teacher her rapt attention, but today her mind had been going elsewhere. Instead of listening to Mr. Medina's instructions to get a partner to study for the final with, she was doodling. And instead of hearing that the test would that Thursday, she was staring off into space. 

Although Mr. Medina didn't notice, Tristan most definitely did. "What's going on with her?"

"So ok then!" Mr. Medina said with a clap of his hands. "I'll leave you to find your partners, since we only have two minutes left in the period. And remember: There's no school on Friday, so don't bother showing up!"

As all the students get up from their seats, Rory remained planted in hers as her mind was left to wander. Tristan made his way over to her.

"Rory? Rory. Rory!" He finally began to shake he shoulder.

"Huh? Tristan? What are you doing?"

"Well you're lucky that at least I was listening in class today. That makes one of us." He filled Rory in on all that Mr. Medina had said. "So, will you be my study buddy?" He gave her his most charming smile.

"Who else would I study with? Even Paris has been taken."

"Ooh! Low blow. I'm down for the count. But really. I have a doctor check-up after fourth period, but I'll come back after school and pick you up so we can study. And on the ride back to Stars Hollow, we're going to talk about whatever this is that is making you into this less than scholarly student."

As the bell rang, Rory stood and gave Tristan a mock salute, "Yes sir! No sir!" and then headed out of the class. "I'll see you after school!"

"Whatever it is that's bothering her, I'm determined to find out. I can't stand to see her so unhappy like this," Tristan thought as he walked out of class, turning in the direction of his next one. Sighing, he wouldn't be able to see her until after school. They didn't have any more classes together before he had to leave for the doctor's. "Well, whatever it is, I'm going to be there to make sure she's okay."

End of Chapter 5

*****************************************************************


	6. Chapter 6

*****************************************************************  
Title: Some Things Change  
Author: Christine (Christine.2001@juno.com)  
Rating: PG-13??  
Spoilers: Umm…I guess up until "The Third Lorelai"…the rest came from my head.  
Pairing: R/T  
Starring: Rory, Tristan  
Guest Starring: Lorelai, Dean, Luke, Lane  
Summary: Tristan and Rory have become good friends, although she and Dean are still dating (they never broke up the first time). After something happens with Dean, Rory sees that things are beginning to change between her and Tristan.  
Disclaimer: Nooo officer! That's not Tristan stuffed under my bed……Well….I was going to give him back!!…. Eventually.  
Feedback: Oh, YES Please! This is my first fic and I want to make sure I'm doing it right.  
*****************************************************************

"I'll come back after school and pick you up so we can study. And on the ride back to Stars Hollow, we're going to talk about whatever this is that is making you into this less than scholarly student."

As the bell rang, Rory stood and gave Tristan a mock salute, "Yes sir! No sir!" and then headed out of the class. "I'll see you after school!"

"Whatever it is that's bothering her, I'm determined to find out. I can't stand to see her so unhappy like this," Tristan thought as he walked out of class. "Well, whatever it is, I'm going to be there to make sure she's okay."

End of Chapter 5

*****************************************************************

Chapter 6/16

With one more aggravated tug at her locker, Rory's entire body sagged in defeat. "What a way to end the already terrible day," she thought. Not that today, in particular, was so much worse than any other day. She got the same glares and the same insults, yet there were other things that somehow made the day a little less "cheery". There was the whole Dean break-up thing. It's not that she regretted her decision at all. Because, she really didn't. It was just that break-ups were always pretty hard. Especially with your first boyfriend. Then there was the "Guess the Mystery Man" thing. That didn't help too much. And to top it off, her normal source of amusement wasn't here. Well, it had been here….until he left for a stupid routine check-up. "And now, and now my locker won't open!" she thought angrily. "Why won't you open?!?" she shouted at her locker.

"Tsk, tsk, Rory. I knew you'd miss be, but I never thought you would resort to talking to your locker." Hanging his head and giving it a gentle shake of disapproval, "I honestly thought more of you Rory."

As Rory glared at his down-turned head, she retorted, "Well talking to you has always been as much fun as talking to my locker, so I figured that I'd give it a try."

His head whipped up revealing his smirk. "Mary, Mary, Mary. I'm hurt." He clutched his chest feigning pain. "Need a little help with that?" he asked, gesturing to her locker.

"No. I was just asking 'Why won't you open?' as more of a rhetorical question. I wasn't actually going to try and get it open," she stated, the sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"Well, since you don't need my help…" Tristan spun on his heel as if leaving.

Sighing, "Tristan?"

He spun around, charming grin in place, "Yes, dear?"

"Will you help me get my locker open?" she asked quietly.

"Of course!" With long strides, he reached her. From behind her, he gently pulled on her waist to move her away from the path of the locker door. Balling up his fist and pounding at just the right spot, the locker sprang open easily. Tristan noticed how well his arm fit around her waist. "Ugh…not now DuGrey. Think friendly thoughts…..Ok! Not too friendly!"

Stepping out of his grasp, Rory proceeds to take things from her locker. "Thanks."

"No prob." Just as she's about to shut her locker door, he stops her. Reaching over her shoulder into the locker, he pulls out her English folder. Pushing it into her already stuffed backpack, "I think we'll probably need this tonight."

"Oh yeah. Right." She didn't fail to notice his warm breath on her neck. Or how good he smelled. But he always smelled like that. He smelled like Tristan. Tristan. Her friend Tristan. "What's wrong with me today!!"

"Rory…Rory?"

Rory is shaken out of her thoughts just now noticing that Tristan had been talking to her. "I'm sorry. What?"

Chuckling, he takes her backpack from her and swung it over one shoulder. "Let's get going." Noticing that Rory wasn't following, Tristan turned back around to find a very sad faced Rory. "Or not…"

"Do we have to study??" she half whined.

"Well we could," he pauses to wiggle his eyebrows for effect, "do OTHER better things," he says suggestively. 

"Ugh! Such a pig!" She punched his arm as she blazed past him towards the door.

With a shocked expression, "Why Rory! Where is YOUR mind? I was talking about getting coffee! Tsk, tsk…I'm ashamed. Truly ashamed."

Walking back up to him, "Oh, you are not and you know it." Placing her arm in his, "So…did I hear something about coffee?"

He laughed, but his voice changed from teasing to gentle. "Well, I'll make you a deal. You get coffee, and you tell me what's been bothering you."

Rory let out a frustrated groan. "Fine."

The car ride back to Stars Hollow was filled with mostly a companionable silence. Tristan knew Rory was thinking about something by the way her eyebrows were furrowed and the distant look in her eyes. He just wanted to give her some time to think.

Rory, meanwhile, was staging a battle in her head. "What should I tell Tristan? I know I'll tell him about the break up with Dean. Should I tell him that he was the reason for my fight with Dean? I know I told Lane that I didn't break up with Dean because of Tristan, but maybe I'm just fooling myself. I wouldn't give up my friendship with him for the world. But the question is, do I tell him that…AAAaahhh….But what he wants to know is what is bothering me! How do I say that my Mystery Man, the guy I know but don't recognize, the guy who makes me feel so wonderful, the guy of my dreams, is driving me crazy!!! I can't. That's just too weird. No. I'll just stick with the break-up and take it from there." 

Soon she realized that they were parked in front of Luke's. For how long, she didn't know. Turning, surprised, to the driver's seat, she found Tristan staring back at her.

Answering her unspoken question, "We got here a few minutes ago. You just looked like you had some stuff to think about for a little while."

She smiled at this sweet gesture, "Thanks. Now, where's that coffee you promised?!?"

"Right this way." 

They exited the car and walk into the hardware store turned dinner. They sat at Rory and Lorelai's normal table and Luke walked up sending a disparaging look Tristan's way.

"Rory, the usual?"

"Yep. I'm boring like that. And can you make it to go?"

"Ok. It'll be out in a second." Luke turned walking towards the kitchen.

"Um Luke?" Rory said.

"Yeah?" he said a bit disgruntled. Rory just gave him a look back showing her disapproval at him ignoring Tristan.

"Bible boy, you want the usual too?"

"Yeah. Thanks Luke." Tristan was definitely intimidated by this man who was so obviously protective of Rory. But Tristan definitely understood the feeling.

"Yeah, whatever." Turning to Rory, "He's better than that no good bag boy anyway," he said pointing at Tristan. Tristan looked in confusion at Rory, then Luke, then back at Rory. "You made the right choice kid." With that, he went to the kitchen to go prepare their orders.

Rory sheepishly looked down at the table, staring at it as if it held the meaning of life. 

Tristan reached under her chin and gently lifted it up with his fingers. "Rory, what did Luke mean by that?"

Rory was about to try and look away, but Tristan's steady gaze held her attention. She hated that. It was always something that he could do with his eyes that held you at his mercy. Granted it had usually been used on the girls he was chasing after, but whenever he used it with her, she didn't want to admit that it worked with her, just as well. Taking a deep breath, "Dean and I broke up." 

The words were quick and jumbled, but Tristan knew what he heard. Dropping his hand from her face, he stared back at her shocked. He had been waiting for this day, but it made him feel so terrible that the bag boy had caused Rory so much pain that she had been practically comatose all day. Suddenly, he was filled with anger. "Who does that bag boy think he is? He's not going to find anyone better! There's no one better." Taking her hand, "Rory. He's an idiot. Why he would ever break up with you…well it's just beyond me. I mean-"

Before he could finish his rant, Rory stopped him. "Tristan, I broke up with Dean. Not the other way around." 

Again, Tristan fell back in his chair in a stupefied state. "Oh." Silently he thought, "She couldn't have met someone else could she? Why? When? What's going on here?" "umm…Rory," he began tentatively, "why did you break it up with Dean? He didn't try anything did he?" His voice turned angry at that last thought.

"OH NO! No…nothing like that….."

"Then what?"

"Well, he was kinda jealous of you," she mumbled incoherently.

"What did you say? It sounded like you said he was jealous of me. I mean that's ridiculous!" He chuckled, but on the inside his heart was pounding; so much that he would've sworn she could hear it. "Oh please say I heard right."

"Yeah, that's what I said." Her voice was barely audible over the pounding of his heart. "Haha..but that's ridiculous right? I mean, we're just friends." A half smile graced her lips.

Tristan's heart stopped pounding suddenly and he tried not to show the hurt he felt as his hopes fell for possibly the thousandth time during the course of their friendship. Laughing softly, "Yeah…pretty ridiculous."

Silence fell over them and they were saved from an awkward moment when Lorelai bounded in to beg for her coffee. Throwing a quick wave at the couple, she threw herself onto on of the bar stools and flashed her brightest smile at Luke. Although he looked unrelenting, it was evident that he had a soft spot for the Gilmore Girls.

With as bright of a smile as she can manage, Rory stood up. "Well, we better get cracking!"

"Sure," Tristan replied with his own smile. What could he say? Her smiles were infectious.

As they go to pick up their food, Rory goes to put down some money, but as usual Tristan shoved it back. "Tristan! Let me pay for once!"

"No Rory. I want to. What else am I gonna do with this money? It makes me happy to pay for you. Besides the deal was I'll pay, you talk. You agreed to it!"

With a roll of her eyes, she grudgingly relented. They had been through this too many times in the past and she knew it was useless to protest. "Ok ok. I give up. Mom, Tristan and I are heading back home to study for the English final."

"Sure thing, babe," she said throwing a glance their way before going back to her verbal sparring with Luke.

"You didn't want to wait for Lorelai?"

Glancing back at the oblivious adults, "Naw, I think she's going to be a while."

Getting back in the car, they drove the short distance to Rory's, preparing themselves for the grueling hours ahead.

End of Chapter 6

*****************************************************************


	7. Chapter 7

*****************************************************************  
Title: Some Things Change  
Author: Christine (Christine.2001@juno.com)  
Rating: PG-13??  
Spoilers: Umm…I guess up until "The Third Lorelai"…the rest came from my head.  
Pairing: R/T  
Starring: Rory, Tristan  
Guest Starring: Lorelai, Dean, Luke, Lane  
Summary: Tristan and Rory have become good friends, although she and Dean are still dating (they never broke up the first time). After something happens with Dean, Rory sees that things are beginning to change between her and Tristan.  
Disclaimer: Nooo officer! That's not Tristan stuffed under my bed……Well….I was going to give him back!!…. Eventually.  
Feedback: Oh, YES Please! This is my first fic and I want to make sure I'm doing it right.  
*****************************************************************

Chapter 7/16

They had been studying for what seemed like an eternity. Well, an eternity consolidated into a few hours. They were bored, tired, and really really bored. But they had a lot more to study for their final in three days. They had changed from the regulatory Chilton uniforms into some more normal teenager clothes and were now sprawled out with all their notes and books in the Gilmore living room. Tristan was lounged on the couch while Rory was sitting amidst her tediously taken notes.

Groaning and throwing his arm dramatically over his face, "Rorrrr-eeeee!!! Do we REALLY have to go over this stuff again? My brain can't take it anymore!!"

With her own groan, "But Tristan! We have so much more to study!! Oh, who am I kidding?" she said as she flopped down next to him on the couch. "I can't take any more of it either. I think it's time for a break."

"Break? Did I hear the word 'break'?" Lorelai skipped into the living room from where she had been huddled in the kitchen next to the coffee pot. "I thought I heard groans, but I most definitely heard the word break. Running full speed and flopping into the space between the worn out teens, she put her arm around each of them. "Soooo, Kiddies! What are we doing?"

"Well, mom. We WERE studying!" Rory said pointedly.

"Uh-uh. You can't fool me! I heard break! That means NO MORE STUDYING!" She emphasizes this with a slicing motion of her hand. "NO MORE!!"

The two teens merely stared at her in amusement. Lorelai noticed the stares from both sides and quickly turned her head from one side to the other as if not trusting either of them. Finally giving up, she started bouncing in her seat with a pout on her face. "Come on!! You guys have to entertain me!!"

"Mom!"

Ignoring Rory, Lorelai turned to Tristan grasping his hand, all the while continuing to bounce. "Come on Tristan! I know YOU have some sense in you! Let's do something fun! We can play cops and robbers! Or…Ooh Ooh! We can build a fort! I know the perfect-"

Tristan started laughing as Rory gave up knowing it was useless to argue with her hyper mother. "Ok mom, how bout we watch a movie."

"Yay!!" Lorelai jumped up throwing her arms in the air. "I'll go get popcorn, and you get Willy Wonka," she says pointing commandingly at her daughter.

"Willy Wonka?"

"Yep!" both girls smiled.

"Oh. I've only seen it once as a kid. What?!?!" he asked as he noticed that their jaws were practically on the floor. "I was scared of the oompa loompas!" he yelled defensively and somewhat sheepishly. As the two Gilmores rolled over on the floor laughing, Tristan simply put his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "Well, I was."

"Haha. So Willy Wonka it is." Rory walked over to retrieve the tape from a cabinet.

The three laughed along with the movie, all enjoying themselves. "Ooh! Ooh! This part's probably Tristan's favorite!" proclaimed Lorelai as the oompa loompas appeared on screen. Rory and Lorelai laughed at seeing the slightly embarrassed blush on Tristan's cheeks as he looked down.

"Uh-uh," Rory said, pulling up his chin. "You're watching this." She laughed seeing him cringe a little as the oompa loompas began to sing.

Lorelai let out a huge yawn. "Whoa. Okay, well on that happy note, I'm going to go to bed."

"Oh wow. Sorry I didn't realize it was so late. Maybe I should head home," Tristan said as he began to stand.

Lorelai pushed him back down. "Relax, Tristan. You can't drive home this late anyway. We won't let you." Rory acknowledged this with a stern nod in Tristan's direction. "You can just stay on the couch tonight. Besides, you need to be able to say that you say Willy Wonka more than a that disgraceful ONE time!" 

"Are you sure?" 

"Absolutely!" Rory chimed in.

"Thanks so much Lorelai."

"No prob,…..Bible Boy!" Laughing, Lorelai runs up the stairs.

Chuckling and shaking his head as if in disbelief, "Your mom is one of a kind. She's great." He had a rueful smile on his face.

"Yeah, I know," Rory said proudly. Then with an evil smirk, "And now back to the movie! I paused it at the oompa loompa song for you!"

"Aahhh…You're evil you know that!" he said grinning at her.

"Ha! I'd like to see you prove it, Former Evil One!"

Tristan muttered to himself.

"Sorry? What was that?" Rory put her hand up to her hear and leaned in closer as if trying to hear him better.

"Oh, just press play," he said with a pout.

"Haha….as you wish!"

As the movie wore on, so did the night. Too tired to fight the closing of her eyes, Rory gave in to the urge to lie down. Yawning, Rory repositioned herself so that she was lying lengthwise along the couch with her head resting comfortably on Tristan's thigh.

"Hey," Tristan whispered.

"Hey," Rory said from her half asleep state. 

Tristan began to play with her hair, running his hand through in a very calming motion. By now, Tristan had long forgotten the movie that was nearing its end. All he could do was look at was the beautiful angel lying before him. Tristan chuckled softly as Rory let out a contented sigh. After a while, he noticed that the movie had stopped. Turning off the TV, he leaned towards Rory and kissed her temple. He smiled seeing the corners of her mouth twitch upward as he did. He began to get out from under her very slowly, as not to disturb her. Yet it did anyway. 

Whimpering, "Don't go. Stay. Here."

Bending down so that he was at eye level with her serene face, "Rory, do you want me to carry you to your bed?"

"Uh-uh. I don't wanna move," she said, her eyes still closed.

"Ok, well I'll just sleep here in front of the couch then," he said bringing himself to his full standing position.

Grabbing his hand, Rory pulls him towards her. Although she was weak in her tired state, it didn't take much to make Tristan come towards her. "No. Just sleep on the couch. It's big enough," she said, her sentences fragmented by yawns.

"Are you sure?"

"Um-hmm…"

Sighing, Tristan shrugged off his button down shirt, leaving himself in his wife beater and khakis. He figured that if Rory woke up in the morning, she might be surprised if she found him wearing his normal sleep attire, consisting solely of boxers. As he climbed onto the couch in back of her, Rory turned, snuggling up closer to his chest. He inadvertently wrapped his arms around her as he felt her warm breath on his neck.

Sighing contentedly and nuzzling her face into his chest, Rory said a muffled good night.

Looking down at the angel in his arm, Tristan whispered, "Good night, Rory." But she was already asleep. "This is going to be a very very long night."

End of Chapter 7

*****************************************************************


	8. Chapter 8

*****************************************************************  
Title: Some Things Change  
Author: Christine (Christine.2001@juno.com)  
Rating: PG-13??  
Spoilers: Umm…I guess up until "The Third Lorelai"…the rest came from my head.  
Pairing: R/T  
Starring: Rory, Tristan  
Guest Starring: Lorelai, Dean, Luke, Lane  
Summary: Tristan and Rory have become good friends, although she and Dean are still dating (they never broke up the first time). After something happens with Dean, Rory sees that things are beginning to change between her and Tristan.  
Disclaimer: Nooo officer! That's not Tristan stuffed under my bed……Well….I was going to give him back!!…. Eventually.  
Feedback: Oh, YES Please! This is my first fic and I want to make sure I'm doing it right.  
*****************************************************************

Sighing contentedly and nuzzling her face into his chest, Rory said a muffled good night.

Looking down at the angel in his arm, Tristan whispered, "Good night, Rory." But she was already asleep. "This is going to be a very very long night."

End of Chapter 7

*****************************************************************

Chapter 8/16

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes and trying to stretch out her muscles, Rory awoke the next day to find a heavy weight thrown across her. She looked towards the warm body next to her, followed the muscular contours of a bicep with her eyes and continued all the way down the arm that had been pinning her down by her stomach. Glancing back up towards his face, she took in his gorgeous features while she knew her stares would remain unnoticed. However, they were most definitely noticed.

Tristan could feel her eyes on him. He could always feel her presence like a warm breath of air. It was gentle and soft, yet you could feel it surrounding you. That was what being around Rory was like. He had only been resting his eyes after a long sleepless night. He had reveled in the feel of having her in his arms, knowing that he might not ever have another chance. Sure they always had their hugs and sometimes kisses on the cheek. But this somehow seemed like much more. Almost like that kiss that happened so long ago. But to Tristan, he could remember it as if it were yesterday. And now, with her in his arms, he could feel her taking him in with her eyes. "I hope she likes what she sees," he thought to himself.

As Rory continued to trace his features with her eyes, she began to realize how truly amazing he looked. She noticed how Tristan's long eyelashes looked, knowing that what lie beneath were seas of brilliant blue. They were eyes that would pull you in and practically drown you in their depths. His high cheekbones and strong jaw. His hair was tousled as usual, making any girl crazy with the urge to run her hands through it. Placing her palm gently over his chest, she felt the rippling muscles that were always hidden behind their uniforms. "Rory! What are you doing? You're checking out Tristan! This is your friend Tristan! Your very handsome friend…No!" Her hand slid along his chest further towards the couch, imperceptibly. As it crossed his heart, Rory felt the almost frantic beating within the confines of his chest that she had, seconds ago, been admiring. Whipping her face back up to his, she found a set of piercing eyes staring right back at her.

Blushing furiously, Rory lowered her head. Raising it up slowly, she mumbled a good morning, yet she made no move to get up. 

"Good morning," Tristan whispered back as he stared deeply into her eyes.

Breaking the lock of his eyes, Rory realized how terrible she must have looked. Frantically, she tried to smooth down her hair with her hand. She suddenly stopped as she felt Tristan's hand move to cover her own, bringing it back down to their sides. "You're perfect," he whispered, as if her could read her thoughts. Tristan didn't realize what he had been saying. It was way to early to be trying to hide his love for her. And from the direction he was headed in, it almost seemed like he wasn't even trying.

Rory's breath caught in her throat as his whispered words echoed in her head. Slowly, as if a magnetic force was pulling them, they began to move closer to each other, never once breaking their eye contact. Soon, their faces were a mere fraction apart. Very slowly, their eyelids closed as that fraction became smaller and smaller.

"Need coffee! I need coffee!!" Bounding down the steps, Lorelai yelled in an Irish accent, "Now where'd I put me coffee stash!"

Rory and Tristan's eyes snapped open as the stared at each other, open-mouthed. Quickly jumping up from the couch, Rory told Tristan that he could use the shower first, then ran to the kitchen, undoubtedly to make coffee.

As Lorelai jumped down the last step of the staircase, she came across the sight of a very dazed and slightly confused Tristan sitting on the couch in the living room with a blanket twisted around his legs. Chuckling to herself, she threatened him, "You better not use all the hot water! Or else." She paused for a dramatic effect. Seeing that she had gained his attention she continued. "Or else it shall be a very slow death by oompa loompas!"

Leaving him there to get ready to take a shower, she skipped into the kitchen, only to find her once calm daughter tearing apart the kitchen, making a mess that rivaled what Lorelai termed as the plumbing fiasco. 

"Hey! Whatcha looking for?"

"What do you think? Coffee!"

"You mean the coffee that always sits next to the coffee machine," she said pointing to the not-so-elusive object.

"Yeah, right," Rory mumbled.

"Sooo…Tristan is in the living room in a stupor, my calm daughter has been replaced by insane and slightly psychotic daughter. What happed last night?" Peeking into Rory's room confirmed her suspicions. "And I see that your bed is still picture perfect." Grinning widely with one upraised eyebrow, Lorelai stared at her flustered daughter, waiting for an answer. Or knowing Rory, a non-answer.

"Nothing! I have to go get ready!" In a split second, Rory had spun on her heel and retreated to her room.

Lorelai laughed to herself. "Looks like things are getting interesting." And with an evil cackle, "and I get a front row seat!" Picking up her coffee mug, "Ooh, and in a location close to coffee! How wonderful!

Meanwhile, Tristan had made his way to the bathroom and undressed for a quick shower. Stepping under the lukewarm water, "Mustn't make Lorelai mad." Running his hands through his hair, he let the water fall against his chest and all over his face, yet he couldn't feel it. He groaned as he replayed the scene in his head for the hundredth time this morning. "I can't lose her by scaring her away! Ugh! Keep your hormones in check, DuGrey!" Then with a whimper, he leaned his forehead against the cold tiles, "But it's just so hard! Today's going to be a long day."

Downstairs, in the confines of her room, Rory sat on the edge of her bed, staring off into space. "What just happened out there?!?" Touching her lips with her fingertips, "You almost kissed your friend, that's what! You almost kissed Tristan!" She was taken back to the time at Madeline's party when their lips had actually met. She couldn't deny that she had felt sparks, but she had ignored them. "Well it's too late for that now! Now, we're just friends!…..I can't lose his friendship. Ugh!" Flopping backwards onto her mattress, "Today's going to be a long day."

End of Chapter 8

*****************************************************************


	9. Chapter 9

*****************************************************************   
Title: Some Things Change  
Author: Christine (Christine.2001@juno.com)  
Rating: PG-13??  
Spoilers: Umm…I guess up until "The Third Lorelai"…the rest came from my head.  
Pairing: R/T  
Starring: Rory, Tristan  
Guest Starring: Lorelai, Dean, Luke, Lane  
Summary: Tristan and Rory have become good friends, although she and Dean are still dating (they never broke up the first time). After something happens with Dean, Rory sees that things are beginning to change between her and Tristan.  
Disclaimer: Nooo officer! That's not Tristan stuffed under my bed……Well….I was going to give him back!!…. Eventually.  
Feedback: Oh, YES Please! This is my first fic and I want to make sure I'm doing it right.  
*****************************************************************   
  
Running his hands through his hair, he let the water fall against his chest and all over his face, yet he couldn't feel it. He groaned as he replayed the scene in his head for the hundredth time this morning. "I can't lose her by scaring her away! Ugh! Keep your hormones in check, DuGrey!" Then with a whimper, he leaned his forehead against the cold tiles, "But it's just so hard! Today's going to be a long day."  
  
Downstairs, in the confines of her room, Rory sat on the edge of her bed, staring off into space. "What just happened out there?!?" Touching her lips with her fingertips, "You almost kissed your friend, that's what! You almost kissed Tristan!" She was taken back to the time at Madeline's party when their lips had actually met. She couldn't deny that she had felt sparks, but she had ignored them. "Well it's too late for that now! Now, we're just friends!…..I can't lose his friendship. Ugh!" Flopping backwards onto her mattress, "Today's going to be a long day."  
  
End of Chapter 8   
*****************************************************************  
  
Chapter 9/16  
  
Walking out of the bathroom, Tristan rubbed a towel against his damp hair. He kept rubbing harder and harder as if he were trying to shake some sense into him. His absentmindedness was evident in his appearance. Although, it wasn't possible for Tristan to look terrible, he merely looked tired and perplexed. His regulatory Chilton dress shirt was somewhat wrinkled, though that was only the beginning. The shirt hung on him in a state of disarray. Buttons had been mismatched and only a few had been buttoned, leaving his taut stomach in view of anyone he encountered. However, as he walked along in his trance, he didn't seem to have noticed anything at all. Anything, that is, until he ran right into Rory, just as she was about to run into the vacant bathroom.  
  
Tristan grabbed her arms in order to steady her. As he felt shockwaves run up his arms from the touch, he quickly released her, jumping backwards. Each set of eyes quickly darted towards the other, then back towards the floor. It was the epitome of an awkward moment.  
  
Trying to fill the silence, Tristan moved out of the pathway towards the bathroom. "I guess you'll be wanting to take a shower now," he said as his eyes continued to dart from Rory to the walls, to the floor, then back to Rory, completing the vicious cycle.  
  
Rory's head snapped to attention at his voice. "Oh I already did. Take a shower, that is. I went to my mom's room. Well, I went to her bathroom to take a shower, can't really take one in a bed room…" Realizing that she had been babbling, she stopped abruptly. "Umm…I'm gonna go brush my teeth now."   
  
With that said, she ran straight past Tristan, her face down turned the entire way, and slammed the door shut as if she couldn't stand to even breath the same air as him any longer.  
  
"We almost shared a lot more than the same air," he thought silently. Sighing, he walked towards the kitchen. There he found Lorelai sitting at the table with a large smirk on her face.  
  
"Have a nice sleep, artist formerly known as the evil one?"  
  
Tristan couldn't help but laugh and smirk back. "Oh, it was just wonderful."   
  
"The couch wasn't too small for you was it?" she said with a secretive smile on her face.   
  
Tristan tried to hide the awkwardness he felt from her question. "No….no it was just fine."   
  
"Good. That's good." Then with a gentle smile, "You know that you can feel free to spend as much time here as you want. I know what it's like to need to get away from home."   
  
Tristan smiled gratefully. "Thanks Lorelai."   
  
Then, she nonchalantly added, "And I'm sure Rory wouldn't mind having you around…" She couldn't help it when a little chuckle escaped her lips, but Tristan didn't seem to notice.  
  
Thinking of that, Tristan said quietly to himself, "Yeah I wouldn't mind having her around more either."   
  
But Lorelai heard. Interrupting his thoughts, "So when are you going to tell her?"   
  
"Huh? Tell her what? What are you talking about? I don't have anything to tell her about? She's my best friend. She already knows everything about me!-" Tristan didn't like the way Lorelai was staring at him. It was like she was probing him with her eyes. It made him nervous, because he had the feeling that she already knew some of the secrets that he had tried so hard to keep.   
  
Lorelai cut him off. "Well, I see that Rory hasn't cornered the market on babbling. And somehow, I HIGHLY doubt she knows everything there is to know about you. Like maybe she doesn't know about you're…um I don't know….feelings for her!!" she said with a triumphant smirk on her face.  
  
Stammering out a response, "We…We're just friends! That's all we are. We're friends!"  
  
"You keep telling yourself that biblical boy! If it's one thing I know about, it's my daughter. My very oblivious daughter. Unless you want to self implode with all those teenage emotions running through you, I suggest you say something soon."   
  
Before Tristan can say anything else, Rory walked in the kitchen. In order to avoid clueing Rory in to the discussion that had been taking place, Lorelai quickly said, "Well you two crazy kids better get going! You've got a big day ahead of you!" she said with a wink directed at Tristan. In a mock stern voice, "You mustn't be late or El Douche will be very very angered!! A full full day of useless information and formulas that you will never need again awaits you!!" As she continued her rant, she gradually pushed them towards the door. On the way, she grabbed their backpacks and books and shoved them in their hands as she gave them their final push through the door and onto the porch. They spun around once they were outside to look at the woman possessed that was left standing in the door way. "Now go make me proud!" And with a mock salute, she spun on her heel and kicked the door shut behind her. The two teens stared at each other with matching confused looks, then realizing that they had to get to school, headed slowly down the steps to Tristan's car.  
  
"Is today the big day?" Tristan glanced down at Rory, walking along beside him as they made their way down the driveway. With the sun highlighting her hair, she looked like an angel. He couldn't deny what he felt for her. He had had a pretty difficult time denying it to Lorelai. But most importantly, he wasn't sure how long he could keep his feelings hidden from her.  
  
Rory, as if feeling his eyes on her, quickly glanced up at him. Seeing him staring back at her with such fire in his eyes scared her, and she quickly turned her head away from him.  
  
"Or maybe not. I guess I'll just have to see what happens."  
  
End of Chapter 9  
*****************************************************************  
  
  
  
  



	10. Chapter 10

*****************************************************************  
Title: Some Things Change  
Author: Christine (Christine.2001@juno.com)  
Rating: PG-13??  
Spoilers: Umm…I guess up until "The Third Lorelai"…the rest came from my head.  
Pairing: R/T  
Starring: Rory, Tristan  
Guest Starring: Lorelai, Dean, Luke, Lane  
Summary: Tristan and Rory have become good friends, although she and Dean are still dating (they never broke up the first time). After something happens with Dean, Rory sees that things are beginning to change between her and Tristan.  
Disclaimer: Nooo officer! That's not Tristan stuffed under my bed……Well….I was going to give him back!!…. Eventually.  
Feedback: Oh, YES Please! This is my first fic and I want to make sure I'm doing it right.  
*****************************************************************  
  
Chapter 10/16  
  
Staring into her locker, Rory felt herself being carried back in time to that morning and her thoughts were amassed in images of a half-buttoned shirt, chiseled chest, amazing abs, tousled hair, and an incredible smile that could make her melt. "God he looked good," she thought. She could vividly remember the feel of his arms and the smell of his cologne.  
  
Sighing, she began to pull the books she needed to complete all of her studying that day. She hadn't really seen Tristan all day. They had mostly avoided each other out of the awkwardness from that almost kiss.  
  
"This is ridiculous! I'm not going to distance myself from one of my best friends because of one stupid moment! It didn't even mean anything! We were still half asleep!" She silently tried to convince herself, while at the same time, trying to ignore the nagging voice in that back of her mind asking whom she was attempting to fool. She ignored the fact that she had just been daydreaming about her so-called best friend in a little more than friendly state. Taking a deep breath, she resolved that she would just pretend that this morning never happened. "Yeah, I'd like to see you try!" her inner voice taunted. "Ugh! It was nothing!" and to reinforce that thought, slammed her locker shut, only to find Tristan leaning on the locker next to hers with his ever-present casual stance.  
  
"AAAAHHHHH!!!! What are you trying to do?!?! Send me to an early grave, or something?!?!" she yelled at him as she tried to steady her pounding heart and rapid breathing.  
  
Rory stared at him with a glare, waiting for some kind of response. Yet all she received was a light shrug and an apologetic smile. He brought out the arm that had been positioned at his back, showing her the steaming hot cup of coffee in his hand.   
  
"Forgive me?" he asked, already knowing the answer.  
  
But before he could even get the full two words out of his mouth, Rory was already latched onto the cup and taking sips from it.  
  
"For what? What'd you do?" she asked, smiling back at him from behind the rim of her cup.  
  
"So…you ready for yet another grueling study session with the boys, Will S. and Charlie Dickens?"  
  
"Uh-uh…never."  
  
Chuckling, Tristan put his arm around her shoulder, leading her towards the parking lot. "We must be going, Juliet!"  
  
"Whatever you say, Romeo," she mumbled back grumpily.  
  
The car ride, as usual, was filled with their bickering over the music, lasting the entire ride from Hartford to Stars Hollow. It could have lasted much longer had Rory not looked out the window at the moment they were about to pass Luke's.  
  
"I don't know how I can associate with some one who listens to this- Ooh! Ooh! I wanna stop! Luke's! Need coffee!"  
  
"Rory! I just got you coffee!"  
  
"Just! HA! That was a whole thirty minutes ago! I need another one!" She added a puppy dog look just in case her pleas, alone, hadn't worked.  
  
With a resigned sigh, Tristan expertly pulled into a space. "You're just too strange for me," he said, shaking his head.  
  
"Thank you! Now let's go!" She was already out of the car and running towards the diner before Tristan had the chance to react.  
  
As the two walked up to the counter, Luke has on his normal gruff expression. He said hi to Rory then gave a quick nod at Tristan.  
  
"Two coffees, please!"  
  
"No! That stuff will stunt your growth."  
  
"Well, consider me fully stunted. Any more won't hurt."  
  
"You might start shrinking as it deteriorates your entire system."  
  
"Oh please, Luke! Pleeeeeaase?!?!"  
  
With a heavy sigh, Luke poured her the cups of coffee to go. "You're just as bad as your mother."  
  
Tristan pulled out his wallet, shoving away Rory's money that she was about to hand to Luke.  
  
With an indignant look and her hands on her hips, Rory turned to face him. "You never let me pay! I can take care of myself, you know!"  
  
"I never doubted your ability to pay for your own coffee. I'm just making up for all that time that I was a jerk to you."  
  
"Yeah, but you've done that already! You spend enough on my coffee to be able to send me through a year of college!"  
  
"Well, I could do that too!"  
  
Luke looked back and forth between the two bickering teens. Finally getting fed up, he yelled, "It's on the house! Now Go!"  
  
The two looked at him, stunned, while Luke tried to maintain the menacing look on his face.  
  
"Aww…Luke! You old softie!" Rory cooed.   
  
"I'm three seconds from taking that coffee away!"  
  
"'Nuff said!" She pulled Tristan towards the door of the diner as he threw a thanks over his shoulder at Luke.  
  
Watching the two run out, Luke wondered, "When is Rory going to realize that guy's crazy about her?"  
  
As the two walked through the door of the Gilmore household, they found Lorelai running down the stairs in a huff. "Where is it? Where is it!" she yelled as she began spinning around in circles. "Where did it go?!?!"   
  
"Mom, if you're looking for your tail, you gave it up after you kept getting it caught in the door!"   
  
Lorelai stopped spinning. "Ooh yeah! Now I remember! But no. I'm looking for that thing we like to call the telephone. It was ringing a second ago. Where did we leave it last?"   
  
"Umm…I think between Cosmo September 2000 and October 2000."   
  
"But I checked there already!"   
  
"Hmm how about between Glamour December 2000 and January 2001?"   
  
"Oooh. Good thinking!….WAIT! Stop everything! You have coffee! And you didn't get me any!! Rory!" she whined, "My flesh and blood! I went through all those hours of labor for this?!?!"   
  
Tristan decided to interject before things got ugly. If there was one thing he had learned from his time spent with Rory, never keep a Gilmore girl away from her coffee…well, not unless you had a death wish. "Here Lorelai, this cup's for you."   
  
Lorelai's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "You're pretty!" She took the cup and bounced off into another room.   
  
Rory and Tristan looked at each other and laughed. "Yep, you were definitely hit with a pretty stick!"   
  
"Well that was rather emasculating! So now, I'm gonna change, then we need to start cracking."   
  
At the mention of having to study, Rory started to whine and fell back onto the couch. "Don't wanna!"   
  
"Come on, Rory," he coaxed. He held out his hands to pull her up and accidentally pulled too hard. Rory jerked forward falling against him, and they felt shocks blaze through their bodies. Quickly jumping apart, they both said simultaneously, "I'll go change now!" before quickly darting away.   
  
End of Chapter 10  
*****************************************************************  



	11. Chapter 11

*****************************************************************  
Title: Some Things Change  
Author: Christine (Christine.2001@juno.com)  
Rating: PG-13??  
Spoilers: Umm…I guess up until "The Third Lorelai"…the rest came from my head.  
Pairing: R/T  
Starring: Rory, Tristan  
Guest Starring: Lorelai, Dean, Luke, Lane  
Summary: Tristan and Rory have become good friends, although she and Dean are still dating (they never broke up the first time). After something happens with Dean, Rory sees that things are beginning to change between her and Tristan.  
Disclaimer: Nooo officer! That's not Tristan stuffed under my bed……Well….I was going to give him back!!…. Eventually.  
Feedback: Oh, YES Please! This is my first fic and I want to make sure I'm doing it right.  
*****************************************************************  
At the mention of having to study, Rory started to whine and fell back onto the couch. "Don't wanna!"   
  
"Come on, Rory," he coaxed. He held out his hands to pull her up and accidentally pulled too hard. Rory jerked forward falling against him, and they felt shocks blaze through their bodies. Quickly jumping apart, they both said simultaneously, "I'll go change now!" before quickly darting away.   
  
End of Chapter 10  
*****************************************************************  
  
Chapter 11/16  
  
"Married to…"  
  
"Anne Hathaway."  
  
"In the year…"  
  
"1582."  
  
They had been studying for hours. After an initial awkwardness, the two friends fell back into their normal comfortableness with each other. Both had somewhat successfully pushed the moment from a few hours before into the recesses of their minds in order to get back to the task of studying. Yet for both, it was impossible to ignore what had occurred.  
  
Before Rory could fire out yet another round of questions, Lorelai came bounding in from the kitchen.   
  
"As rank officer of this household, I demand to be entertained!" Lorelai demanded with an air of haughtiness.  
  
"Mom," Rory sighed with aggravation.  
  
Losing her composure, Lorelai whined, "Entertain me!"  
  
"Mom! We have to study!"  
  
"But I'm bored!" the elder Gilmore pouted. "Where'd you put my other daughter? You know, the fun one? She's about yea high?" She held her hand up next to her head, parallel to the floor.  
  
In an effort to get rid of her hyper mother, Rory tried the only thing she could think of. "Hey mom you just got your newest In Style magazine. You can go ogle all the terribly well dressed!"   
  
"Ooh. Now there's a paradox." In a high-pitched, cartoonish voice, "You look terrible! But I'm well dressed! So then, you're terribly well dressed!" Then in her normal voice, "Well you people stink!" Throwing up her hands in disgust, Lorelai retreated to the kitchen while mumbling, "What has Chilton done to my daughter! Leaving me to fend for myself in this cruel world!   
  
Sighing, Rory turned her attention back to the piles of books strewn on the floor in front of her. "Well. I guess it's back to studying." Hearing a loud groan, she looked up at Tristan's reclined form on her couch.  
  
"Tristan, you know we have to. We only have tonight and tomorrow."  
  
With an aggravated sigh, Tristan reluctantly rose to a sitting position. "Yeah, yeah. I know."  
  
"Ok," she said, scrunching her nose in her contemplation.  
  
"Man, she looks adorable when she does that," Tristan thought silently as he watched her.  
  
Snapping her fingers, "I got it. I'll quote Shakespeare, you tell me what work it's from."  
  
"Child's play. Shoot," Tristan said with an arrogant smirk. The same smirk that used to drive Rory insane with anger. The same smirk that she now thought was adorable after getting to know the real person behind the spoiled, rich-boy façade.  
  
"Don't get so cocky just yet," she warned.  
  
"So are you saying you'll let me later?" he asked with a leer.  
  
"Ugh! You're amazing you know that!" Rory sighed with exasperation.  
  
Brushing his knuckles against his shirt and then blowing on them, "Yeah. So I've heard."  
  
With a glare that only evoked a chuckle from him, "Anyway! Back to Shakespeare."  
  
"Fire away!" he said as he stretched out his legs in front of him and placed his hands behind his head, making himself comfortable on the couch.  
  
"Ok, how bout this one: 'Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more: it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.'"  
  
"Easy. Macbeth." With a dramatized yawn, "Come on Rory. Think of another one."  
  
"Grrr…Ok, smart guy. 'Doubt that the sun doth move, doubt truth to be a liar, but-'"  
  
"'Never doubt I love,'" Tristan supplied. "That, would be Hamlet. Rory," he admonished, "tsk, tsk. You HAVE to be able to do better than that!"  
  
Sending him an angry glare, "Ooh…you're insufferable, you know that?!?"  
  
"'The lady doth protest too much, methinks.' That was in Hamlet too, in case you didn't know," he said, goading her. Tristan began laughing so hard at Rory's angry glares that he didn't notice as she stalked up to the couch where he was sitting.  
  
Grabbing a nearby pillow, Rory began her assault upon the laughing figure on the couch. Rory was relentless as she tried to smack the laughter out of him. Tristan, finding no means of immediate escape, used the next best tactic: the element of surprise. Jumping off the couch, Tristan launched himself at Rory, grabbing her around her waist. Catching her by surprise, he easily lifted her off the ground and threw her onto the couch without so much as a fight out of her. Snatching the pillow away and throwing it over his shoulder, he launched himself at her once again, yet this time, he was headed straight for her most ticklish spot.  
  
"HAHAHA!!! Tristan!!! Stop!!! HAHAHA!!! Please?!!?" Rory begged through her fits of laughter. She feebly tried to push him away from her sides, but from his position straddling her legs, she was trapped at his mercy.  
  
"Never give up! Never surrender!!" he teased, unrelentlessly tickling her.  
  
"Please?!?! Please?!? I beg of you! I'll do anything you want!!"  
  
Immediately halting his attack, "Well….since you put it THAT way!" he said, unable to hide the wide grin gracing his already charming face.  
  
"Wow. There's that gorgeous smile again." Rory couldn't help the thought and her consequent staring.  
  
"God, she looks beautiful." Just looking at Rory made Tristan want her more and more than he already did, if that was at all possible. Her laughter from being tickled had brought a rosy blush to her cheeks, making her all the more beautiful.  
  
Suddenly realizing that they had been staring at each other, and then remembering the position they were in, the playful pillow fight had turned into an awkward situation. Tristan quickly climbed up from his seated position atop her legs and sat on the couch beside her. Rory, meanwhile, busied herself by sitting upright and straightening her now rumpled shirt. Neither could look the other in the eye.  
  
Rubbing his hand distractedly through his hair, Tristan sighed. In an effort to get things back to normal, he said, "So. What do you want to do now? And please don't stay study." His pout reinforced the fact that he really didn't want her to suggest more studying.  
  
"How about a movie?"  
  
"Sure. But if you say Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, you will one very sorry woman!" he threatened, sticking his finger warningly in her face.  
  
Pushing his finger away, "Okay! Okay! So what do you want to watch. There's some tapes on the table next to you."  
  
"How about Meet Joe Black?"  
  
"Oooh! Brad Pitt!"  
  
"As the devil!"  
  
"Hey! You're the Evil One!"  
  
"Yeah, and don't I look so much better than Brad, too?" he asked, comically flexing his muscles.  
  
In her most monotone and unenthusiastic voice, Rory deadpanned, "Oh yeah. Sooooo much better. Can't contain the drool." As she got up to put the video, in she hit him in the face with a pillow, laughing at his feigned look of hurt. In that second, the awkwardness was broken.   
  
***********  
  
As the two on the screen walked off, back down the hill, Tristan gazed longingly at Rory, as he had been through most of the movie. He could see the gentle tears slowly gliding down the contours of her cheeks. Slowly reaching over, Tristan gently wiped away a falling tear. Quietly, in almost a whisper, "Hey, what's wrong?"  
  
With a sniffle, Rory wiped at her damp face. Turning silently to him, she looked up into his deep blue eyes. "That's just so beautiful that he gave her up, all because he loved her so much. How could you give up someone like that? To do what's best for her even though you loved her more than anything? Someone whom you would do anything to be with?"   
  
Tristan looked down and was silent for moment of contemplation. Then in hoarse voice that he couldn't control, he whispered an answer to her questions. "Sometimes, you just love someone so much that you would do anything for them. Even if it means staying apart from them and sacrificing your own happiness." He looked up, meeting her eyes, glossy from her tears.  
  
Rory didn't know what to say as they stared into each other's eyes. So instead of speaking, she reached down for his hand, intertwining her fingers with his own.  
  
End of Chapter 11  
  
*****************************************************************  



	12. Chapter 12

*****************************************************************  
Title: Some Things Change  
Author: Christine (Christine.2001@juno.com)  
Rating: PG-13??  
Spoilers: Umm…I guess up until "The Third Lorelai"…the rest came from my head.  
Pairing: R/T  
Starring: Rory, Tristan  
Guest Starring: Lorelai, Dean, Luke, Lane  
Summary: Tristan and Rory have become good friends, although she and Dean are still dating (they never broke up the first time). After something happens with Dean, Rory sees that things are beginning to change between her and Tristan.  
Disclaimer: Nooo officer! That's not Tristan stuffed under my bed……Well….I was going to give him back!!…. Eventually.  
Feedback: Oh, YES Please! This is my first fic and I want to make sure I'm doing it right.  
*****************************************************************  
Tristan looked down and was silent for moment of contemplation. Then in hoarse voice that he couldn't control, he whispered an answer to her questions. "Sometimes, you just love someone so much that you would do anything for them. Even if it means staying apart from them and sacrificing your own happiness." He looked up, meeting her eyes, glossy from her tears.  
  
Rory didn't know what to say as they stared into each other's eyes. So instead of speaking, she reached down for his hand, intertwining her fingers with his own.  
  
End of Chapter 11  
*****************************************************************  
  
Chapter 12/16  
  
Rory felt his arms tighten their grip around her waist. Finding comfort in his embrace, she willingly cuddled her body closer to his warm, smooth chest. Looking up into the depths of his deep blue eyes, she felt she could read his every thought and emotion. They shined with everything that he could see in her eyes. Rory knew that she could gaze into his eyes forever. But that would have to wait. Slowly, his eyelids closed as he inched closer and closer. Her eyelids fluttered closed in anticipation of his warm lips upon hers. It seemed like an eternity before she could feel his breath mingling with her own. Rory felt a tingling sensation surge through her body as his lips were fractions of a centimeter away. Then suddenly, a wave of cold air surrounded her as she realized he had pulled away. In the distance, she heard the faint ringing. The ringing was getting louder.  
  
Jolting upright, she frantically looked around for Tristan and the lips that she wanted to kiss, only to find herself alone in her own room, in her own bed. Slamming her hand angrily against the alarm, she flopped back down onto the bed, pulling the comforter over her head in the process.  
  
Her dreams had haunted her again. She had dreamt of her mystery man. It had been the first time she had thought of him since Monday. Since then, Tristan had kept her occupied, especially the night before when she slept in his arms. It had been the same dream that she had before and had not brought any clarity. The two of them were on some sort of ride and were soaring above a crowd, just reveling in each other's company. The only difference this time was in the moment of their kiss. Before they shared the passionate kiss of the first dream, Rory had found herself sleeping on a couch. Not just any couch. It was her couch, and she was not alone. Tristan was holding her. No. It was more than holding. He was about to kiss her, but that's when she woke up.  
  
"Damn alarm! Wait….did I want him to kiss me?"  
  
Flashes from the night before suddenly came to Rory. Tristan's words rang out in her head.  
  
"Sometimes, you just love someone so much that you would do anything for them. Even if it means staying apart from them and sacrificing your own happiness."  
  
After Tristan had spoken, she had taken his hand. She hadn't known what else to do. And that simple but meaningful act had just seemed so..right. But then a silence fell over them.  
  
"What's going on?" Rory couldn't help but question herself. She was so confused. "What was that last night? Well…it was…it was a moment. Just like the moment from that morning on the couch. Or the one last night after the pillow fight. Those moments when everything I thought I knew or felt suddenly came into question. Would we have kissed?" A battle over her emotions was waged in Rory's head.   
  
Ever since that day when she thought back upon their one and only true kiss at Madeline's, the feel of Tristan's lips had been burning itself further and further into her brain. Throwing back the comforter and sitting up, Rory's mind was entranced with thoughts of that magical kiss.  
  
Sighing, Rory got out of bed. After the long, strained silence, Rory had broken it by saying it was late and that she had better go to bed.  
  
"Why are things so difficult?" she questioned herself. "Now, to top of the morning, it's off to Chilton….and off to face Tristan. Tristan. The same Tristan sleeping in the living room; sleeping on my couch." Her hand froze on the doorknob and Rory banged her forehead against the cold wooden door. "Why? Why?"  
  
In the living room, Tristan was lying on the couch with his eyes closed. After the events and the almost kisses of the night before, he had had trouble sleeping for more than fifteen minutes at a time.  
  
"What did it all mean?" He thought that Rory had seemed almost receptive at times. But maybe, he was wrong. Right now, he was just counting the moments until he would be able to see her again.  
  
Rory slowly tiptoed out of her room and into the living room where she saw Tristan sleeping on the couch. At the mere sight of him, she stopped dead in her tracks, and her breath caught in her throat. There, before her, Tristan was lying shirtless, with a well-muscled arm thrown across his eyes. The thin blanket that had once been covering him was now falling recklessly off his body towards a heap on the floor. The scant cloth that was covering him failed to conceal his rock hard abs.  
  
Tristan felt her eyes on him. He could always tell when she entered a room. Feigning sleep, he decided he would let her stare some more. "Maybe things are changing," he thought to himself, trying his best to keep a grin from spreading across his face.  
  
After about a minute, he decided it was time to "wake up." Shifting on the make shift bed, he reached his arms above his head to stretch, startling Rory out of her haze.  
  
Trying to remove the thoughts from her head, Rory shook her head and walked further into the room. "Morning sleepy head!" she said with a cherry voice, as if she hadn't just been checking out one of her best friends.  
  
"Morning," he said with a smile as he rose to a standing position. The blanket slipped off and onto the floor.  
  
Rory couldn't help but notice the rippling muscles of his back as he bent down to retrieve his shirt.  
  
As Tristan pulled on his shirt, he saw the flash of disappointment on Rory's face. "Hmm…this is definitely new."  
  
With a charming smile thrown her way, "Hey, I'm gonna go shower, ok?"   
  
And with that, he walked out of the room leaving Rory to only stare after him, muttering, "Yeah."  
  
Turning on the water, Tristan broke out into a full-fledged grin. "I'm definitely going to find out what's going on in that little head of Rory's if it's the last thing I do. Maybe there's a chance for us after all."  
  
As she heard the water turn on, Rory stood rooted in place. "I think I'm falling in love with my best friend," she whispered to the empty room. She stared off into space before collapsing onto the still warm couch. The remnants of Tristan's body heat and his scent sent her hormones into overdrive. With a groan, she smothered her face with a cushion. "What am I getting myself into?"   
  
End of Chapter 12  
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